CEDAR CITY – Gov. Spencer Cox has announced a new state initiative to double Utah’s power production over the next decade.
In response to what state officials are calling a “looming energy crisis,” Cox revealed the effort — dubbed Operation Gigawatt — at the One Utah Summit in Cedar City on Oct. 8.
Cox explained that Operation Gigawatt is intended to “put Utah in a position to lead the country in energy development, secure our energy future and remain a net energy exporter while diversifying and expanding our energy resources.”
The goals of the energy initiative will be to increase Utah’s transmission capability so more power can be placed on the statewide grid; expand and develop more energy production; enhance Utah’s policies to generate clean, reliable energy like nuclear and geothermal; and, invest in research and innovation that support new energy policies.
“We will build upon Utah’s ‘any of the above’ energy policy with a ‘more of the above approach’,” the governor promised, “by doubling our energy-generating capacity over the next 10 years.”
Like much of the globe, Utah is facing an energy crisis due to a growing population; energy-intensive industries like artificial intelligence; increased electrification of vehicles; and, the retirement of baseload capacity for reliable electricity, according to state officials.
Operation Gigawatt is a cohesive strategy, they say, to tackle the gap between energy supply and demand while protecting the state’s natural resources.
For much of his term of office, Cox has been at odds with the Biden administration over the continued use of Utah’s existing energy resources. But a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court went in Utah’s favor.
In late June, the High Court – temporarily, at least – struck down the Environmental Protection Agency’s so-called “Good Neighbor Rule,” a regulation that would have led to higher power rates and added to the skyrocketing cost of living nationwide
That regulation stems from the EPA’s interpretation of the Clean Air Act, which would have required that 23 “upwind” states – including Utah – to reduce air pollution emissions that affect the air quality in “downwind” states.
Cox railed against the so-called “Good Neighbor Rule,” calling it a clear example of federal overreach.
But bureaucrats in Washington argued that controlling ozone emissions from new and existing sources in nine industries – including waste incineration, iron/steel mills and natural gas/coal power generation – would result in annual net benefits of $13 billion in savings from 2023 to 2042, prevent 1,300 premature deaths and cut asthma symptoms by 2.3 million cases.
In the waning hours of the High Court’s judicial season on June 27, however, its justices ruled by a 5-to-4 vote to temporarily block the EPA rule while a challenge to it continues in a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C.
That decision allows Utah to continue to operate power plants in southern and eastern portions of the state.
Joel Ferry, the executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, says that Utah now has the opportunity to lead the nation in energy development.
“This begins with investing in our current energy resources and responsibly pursuing new ones,” according to Ferry.
“Operation Gigawatt will ensure that when Utahns flip the switch, the lights always come on.”
The One Utah Summit is the premier rural event with a rich history of convening Utah’s top leaders and decision-makers that influence the economic viability of rural Utah.
Hosted in Cedar City on Southern Utah University’s campus, the Summit provides the ideal platform where partnerships will discuss some of the most influential topics impacting rural Utah along with providing a day focused on strengthening leadership skills. The event also included a question and answer session with Gov. Cox and U.S. Senator Mike Lee that was broadcast on rural radio stations throughout the state.